2026-10-13 - City Council Special Meeting

00:20Okay, we are live. So, I'm going to call

00:22to order this special meeting of the

00:24Redmond City Council held on Tuesday,

00:28October 13th commencing at 6:20 p.m. We

00:32are here tonight for a joint session

00:34with our Parks, Trails, Recreation

00:36Commission. And we have a full house.

00:39So, I'll first kick it to

00:41uh Parks Director Larina Hamilton to

00:43introduce uh the commission. Thank you.

00:46>> Good evening, City Council. Um we're

00:48very excited to be with you tonight and

00:49have our Parks, Trails, and

00:51Recreation Commission here for their

00:53annual joint commission meeting. Um

00:55we're really excited. Thank you all for

00:56being here tonight. And I'm actually

00:58just going to kick it over to our chair,

01:00Siri Bliesner, to help lead this

01:01meeting.

01:05Well, thank you. And we are very excited

01:07to be here. So, thank you so much for

01:09having this opportunity. Um so, I'm not

01:12quite sure how you want to advance.

01:13There we go. So, our agenda tonight is

01:15short, but we'll start with some

01:16introductions. Then we'll give an update

01:18on what's happened over the past year

01:20since we last spoke with you. And then

01:22there are three priority projects you'll

01:24hear about that have been being worked

01:25on and we'll have different

01:27commissioners speaking to those. And

01:29then we'll open that up at the end to

01:30questions, feedback, and discussion

01:32directly with the council. So, our goal

01:33is to get there and to have that

01:35opportunity. So, with that, with

01:37introductions, I'll go ahead and start.

01:38And then if we can just pass right down

01:39the line here. So, as I say, mentioned,

01:42I'm Siri Bliesner. I'm currently the

01:43chair of the Parks, Trails, and

01:45Recreation Commission.

01:46>> Hello.

01:47>> Hello.

01:48>> Hi, everyone. My name is Jody Penya. Uh

01:51I am a commissioner.

01:54>> Clint Smith, I am a commissioner.

01:56>> Uh Eugenia Vidalis, commissioner.

01:58>> Jim Kleppe,

01:59>> Commissioner.

02:04>> Advita Jain, I'm a youth advocate.

02:06>> Henry Weston, also a youth advocate.

02:09>> Jose Gonzalez, Vice Chair.

02:12>> Cindy Yoon.

02:17>> And then our next slide.

02:21I want to hand this off to Clint Smith

02:23and he's going to do our recap for us.

02:26>> Yeah, so I'll just give you a quick

02:28recap of what's happened in the last

02:29year plus with the commission. Um,

02:32we in February we all met for a retreat.

02:34It was the first one that we've done at

02:36least since I've been on commission and

02:38and most of us have, but there were

02:39seven of us commissioners there. Lindsey

02:41and Cameron were there as well and we

02:42really focused on the process of our

02:44meetings because we'd sort of gone

02:46astray on how our uh, meeting agendas go

02:49and we it was a really good way to to

02:51bring that back into focus and to focus

02:53on the process of the meetings to be

02:54more efficient and inclusive with our

02:56discussions. So, we also talked about

02:58our top tier projects we want to focus

03:00on and the discussion of the importance

03:03of this commission and how we can impact

03:05residents' lives because I think that's

03:06probably why we're here.

03:08Um, it was what came out of that

03:10somewhat is a consistent format for our

03:12meetings allowing ample time for

03:14commissioner discussion, for new topics,

03:17for input from the community, um, and

03:19also a a set schedule for quarterly

03:22updates from Park Ops and other

03:24departments that will impact the work

03:25that we do.

03:27Um, also what came out of that and what

03:28we've been working on previously was an

03:30active topics list. So, we got about 20

03:32active topics at any given time that

03:35allows us to really revisit every time

03:38the critical topics and the projects

03:40including status, next steps that we

03:42want to do, and timelines for those

03:44projects so that we can actually feel

03:46like things get accomplished at the end

03:48instead of just continually talking

03:49about them. So, um, some examples of

03:51those things, the Anderson Park safety,

03:54calisthenics equipment, blue trails,

03:56city communications are some just

03:58high-level examples of active topics.

04:01Um what we strive to do is get input on

04:04various things, and we received, you

04:06know, continual updates on critical

04:08projects like the recreation program

04:10plan and park impact fee schedule. So,

04:12we

04:13uh uh we're allowed to discuss that, to

04:16debate it within our commission, and

04:17then give recommendation recommendations

04:19and ask back to the city. So, it was

04:22Those were really helpful projects for

04:23us to do that and to um

04:26you know, hopefully those things were

04:27taken under advisement by the city.

04:30Uh the other thing, the priority

04:31projects. I talked a little bit about

04:32that, and you're going to hear about

04:33those tonight. So, there's East Redmond

04:35Corridor, wayfinding and signage,

04:39Southeast Redmond Park, which is under

04:40early development now, which is great,

04:42and toddler-focused equipment in parks

04:44are some of the priority projects that

04:46we're working on, and you're going to

04:47hear about three out of those four

04:49tonight.

04:50Um So, National Trails Day happened uh

04:53a couple months ago, 3 months ago. Uh it

04:55was a great work party at Conrad Olson

04:57Park. There was a large number of

04:58volunteers that showed up to lay wood

05:01chips down and create several trails

05:02throughout the whole park, which is

05:04primarily undeveloped at this point. So,

05:06this is a really good starting point for

05:08that park, and I just thought through,

05:10you know, the importance of that, and it

05:11was example of a volunteer-driven

05:13activity,

05:15which really helped uh energize the park

05:18and, you know, begin activating a park

05:20that isn't ready necessarily with any

05:22amenities for other folks to have, but

05:25it's a start, and it was a

05:26volunteer-driven activity that was

05:27really successful. So, it was really um

05:30exciting thing to watch.

05:32Uh Derby Days tabling. So, we had a

05:33great turnout at our table at at Derby

05:35Days. We had 200 plus What was the

05:38number? Is that right? Thank

05:40Yeah, just in the morning. So, and then

05:42the afternoon was busy as well. So, uh

05:44lots of visitors, great interaction with

05:46the public about parks, trails, and rec

05:48and programming. Good input for the city

05:51on what activities people prefer and

05:53what they're currently doing within our

05:56parks and other parks throughout the

05:57region.

05:58And we got some good lessons learned in

06:00terms of what we need at the table for

06:02next year. We had way too much and so we

06:04need to pair it down and we need to

06:05focus on maybe what's the important

06:07things that people want to come up and

06:08talk to us about and have literature and

06:10things for those subjects.

06:12And then finally, the only thing I'll

06:13say is in terms of accomplishments, I

06:15think we've welcomed I think seven new

06:17commissioners over the past year and a

06:19half. So, we have a lot of great new

06:21voices and great input on our commission

06:23and we're excited about that. Thank you.

06:28>> Well, thank you. And so now we're going

06:30to start moving into some of the

06:31priority projects and so we're going to

06:32start with park signage and wayfinding

06:35and Jody Peña will speak to that.

06:41>> Awesome. Thank you.

06:43Hello everyone. Um so, full disclosure,

06:47the person who really led this

06:50>> [laughter]

06:51>> was uh Stewart. But Stewart is no longer

06:53on the uh

06:54is no longer on the commission with us.

06:56So, me and Clint were there um

06:58cheerleading Stewart really. Um but

07:01really this was a passion project really

07:02for Stewart. So, he put in so much time,

07:05dedication in this. So,

07:07just full disclosure, okay?

07:10Um so, signage and wayfinding,

07:13um the PTRC believes strongly in

07:14high-quality, consistent, and engaging

07:16signage for Redmond's parks and trails.

07:19We've gotten a lot of feedback through

07:20surveys and public comment that

07:21emphasize the need for better signage

07:23which is reflected in the 2023 park

07:25plan.

07:26Uh signage and wayfinding is an

07:28important point of contact between the

07:29city and the parks and the trail users.

07:32Navigational interpretive signage

07:34exchanges engages users with their

07:37surroundings and invites them to

07:38discover new places and experiences. And

07:41when Stewart did a lot of this research,

07:43he, as you can see, uh in the slide

07:45here, was able to kind of show us the

07:48different signage in any

07:51point of a trail or anywhere really

07:54where you have a lot of different types

07:56of uh signs going on. So, um

07:59he walked a lot of trails.

08:00And he took a lot of photos, so uh we

08:03thank him for that. Um so, in summary,

08:06uh as you know, the city engaged with

08:07Toole Design in September of last year

08:09to develop a set of guidelines and

08:10recommendations for signage in the city

08:12of Redmond. Toole completed their work

08:14and delivered the city of Redmond Parks

08:16and Trails Wayfinding Sign Standards and

08:18Strategy Plan. PTRC has reviewed that

08:21document and has assembled a set of

08:23recommendations and high-level

08:24priorities that leverage the

08:26prioritizations provided by Toole

08:28Design.

08:30So,

08:31recommendations. Uh

08:33our recommendations are to prioritize

08:36the high-use intersections that lack

08:38clear wayfinding.

08:40Um signage refresh for Watershed

08:42Preserve and uh Farrelly Water.

08:44Citywide maps with you are here

08:47indicators.

08:48Uh collaboration with Arts and Culture

08:50Commission, Redmond Historical Society,

08:52and Green Redmond Partnership to create

08:54new interpretive signage.

08:56Uh collaboration with King County,

08:58neighboring cities, and Leafline Trail

09:00Coalition to improve

09:01cross-jurisdictional trail uh

09:03connections.

09:05Um and so,

09:07the asks that we have, I know that's

09:08what everyone's waiting for, is the

09:10asks.

09:11Um more money to implement new signage.

09:13Uh the 500K budgeted for new signage

09:15will not be enough to do comprehensive

09:17refresh.

09:19Uh City Council support and

09:20encouragement for new signage and

09:21wayfinding guidelines to be implement

09:23implemented once the final design

09:26package is delivered, including

09:27additional staff time, monetary

09:29increases, and prioritizing the

09:30recommendations we propose here today.

09:33Uh and last is support and facilitation

09:36a collaboration between city and

09:38regional stakeholders.

09:40Yeah, signage and wayfinding.

09:43Yeah.

09:44Thank you.

09:46>> Thank you. Our next one is the

09:49East Redmond Corridor and I believe

09:51Commissioner Cleppe will speak into

09:52that.

09:53>> Thank you.

09:57All right, thank you. Thank you. Thanks

09:58again for the opportunity to talk to you

10:00about this. I think this is our fourth

10:02time in front of council talking about

10:04the East Redmond Corridor. We

10:06affectionately call it the ERC.

10:08So, the ERC is

10:11has been around for a long time. So,

10:13what we hope to do is highlight the

10:14progress to date, some of the challenges

10:18to date, and what some actions are

10:20needed to move it forward. Um

10:23just to recap, it's a it's a connection

10:25of seven parks and three miles of trail.

10:28Um of those parks, most of the land was

10:31created was acquired between 1970 and

10:331999. The vision for the ERC was first

10:38announced in 1999 or maybe it could be

10:40even earlier.

10:42A master plan was completed in 2009. It

10:45laid fallow until the commission picked

10:46it back up around 2022. Uh the park

10:49plan, which was completed in 2023,

10:52designated the ERC as a higher priority.

10:55And in 2025, the city completed an

10:57implementation plan for the ERC. That's

11:01all good. The benefits of the ERC are

11:03many,

11:04but only three of the seven parks are

11:06developed and only a small part of the

11:08spine trail exists near Perrigo. Um so,

11:11the implementation plan suggested or

11:14uh uh put out that it was going to be 20

11:17years to complete the rest of the plan

11:19with a $95 million

11:21budget.

11:22Also of importance is that two of the

11:25segments of the trail

11:27uh are adjacent to or near King County

11:29land and would also cross us Novelty

11:32Hill Road, a King County road. So, a

11:35relationship and partner or partnership

11:37with King County is paramount, or else

11:40this project might not go forward.

11:42There has been a lot of good progress.

11:44Volunteers, in in conjunction with parks

11:47operations and the commission, have

11:49cleaned up Arthur Johnson,

11:51Martin,

11:52parts of Conrad Olson and Dunn's soft

11:54trails as well, which is all great. So,

11:56that's been really good. The Southeast

11:58Redmond Park, which is part of the ERC,

12:00design is underway, and we have a

12:03subcommittee in the commission, which

12:05with the intention of assisting the city

12:08in implementing. That's all good.

12:10However, this budget cycle highlights

12:13one of the challenges.

12:15The original ask for ERC last last

12:17summer was 2.7 million.

12:20Sometime in the during the summer it was

12:22reduced to 1.4.

12:24Now, the budget that sits in front of

12:26you offers 680,000

12:28for the ERC. And that money's not

12:30available till 2032.

12:33So, we're kind of challenged to see how

12:35we can complete the ERC in a timely

12:37basis with that kind of funding flow.

12:40So, our ask tonight is pretty

12:41straightforward.

12:42Uh we want you to support that budget

12:44request that you have in front of you,

12:46but maybe see if you can increase it

12:48this cycle, and certainly look forward

12:49to increase it in future cycles.

12:53Do what you can to help the city commit

12:54to a multi-year strategy, so that the

12:57planning and work on the ERC doesn't

13:00stall between budget and and planning

13:03cycles.

13:04And lastly, support the city in creating

13:07a productive relationship with King

13:08County. It's going to be so important to

13:10completing this thing.

13:12Anyhow,

13:13that's it. That's the issue. We hope you

13:15see this as a legacy project for the

13:17city, and we appreciate your support.

13:19Thank you.

13:25>> And our next topic is toddler focused

13:28play infrastructure, and Commissioner

13:30Vidales will be speaking to this one.

13:35>> Uh thank you.

13:37Uh this script was written by

13:38Commissioner member Kimberly Marcelino

13:40who could not make it today's meeting.

13:41So, thank you for that.

13:44Um why is this important? This is a new

13:46issue that was brought forward in May of

13:47this year. It's something that came up

13:49thanks to Commissioner member Kimberly

13:51Marcino who is a mother of to a

13:533-year-old toddler in downtown Redmond.

13:56She noticed that children under five are

13:57often underserved by existing playground

13:59designs, especially children under two.

14:02Uh this isn't a problem unique to

14:03Redmond. Nationwide research has found

14:06that children under five make up nearly

14:08half of all playground users, roughly

14:10equal to the kids in the 6 to 12 age

14:12group, uh yet they receive a fraction of

14:14the dedicated space

14:16and amenities.

14:17Uh playgrounds matter especially for

14:19this age group. They're a source of

14:20learning and development for young

14:21children and a source of community

14:23connection for their caregivers.

14:25Some of the unique needs for this group

14:27specifically includes appropriate

14:29surfaces for crawlers and early walkers,

14:31fencing and clear sightlines to ease

14:33caregivers' cognitive load, and play

14:35features that support sustained

14:36independent play.

14:38Uh these don't have to be expensive, but

14:39they do have to be mean uh intentional.

14:43Proximity is also critical.

14:45Uh with shorter wake windows and less

14:46tolerance for long trips, every

14:48neighborhood park should have

14:49appropriate toddler amenities. Young

14:51families need parks close to home.

14:54One of the park plan's priorities is to

14:56design spaces for all ages and

14:58abilities.

14:59So, it's important that we advocate for

15:01Redmond's youngest residents and for the

15:03caregivers who at this stage of

15:05parenthood may not have the time or

15:06energy to advocate for themselves.

15:09Uh so, what has the commission done? The

15:10commission has already begun acting on

15:12this. We submitted a letter supporting

15:14toddler focused design at the Southeast

15:16Redmond Park and provided feedback on

15:18the Hartman Park designs.

15:25>> All right, and with that, that is the

15:28presentation piece. And now we're at

15:30questions and feedback. So, we're be

15:32interested to know what questions you

15:33might have for the Parks, Trails, and

15:35Rec Commission. And what are you hearing

15:37from the community in regards to Parks,

15:39Trails, and Recs? With that, I'll open

15:40the floor. Brice, I'll hand it to you.

15:42And we'll see who would like to ask a

15:44question.

15:45>> Awesome. Well, thank you all so much.

15:47And thank you, Chair Blezner. It's very

15:49clear that you all um

15:51uh came with some topics that we really

15:53wanted to make sure that we had the time

15:54for tonight. And I just so appreciate

15:56the preparation. I can't imagine what

15:59else is on the list of 20 important

16:01topics, but I'm thinking about it, and

16:03I'm wondering about it, [laughter] and

16:04um hope we can get into that

16:05conversation a bit, too. So, thank you

16:07so much, Council members.

16:09Uh we have about 20 minutes or so.

16:11Please introduce yourself as you ask

16:13your question, and hopefully we'll have

16:15time to do a go round. Who would like to

16:17go first? Council member Forsyth, thank

16:18you.

16:19>> Thank you. Hi, everyone. I'm Council

16:21member Jessica Forsyth. I'm currently

16:22serving in my second term, and it's

16:25great to see you all here. Um a lot of

16:27these topics I'm very passionate about,

16:29so very excited to hear a lot of this

16:31information. Um I had met with Stewart

16:33on the wayfinding project, and really

16:36grateful to see this work continuing

16:37forward. I know you have an amazing um

16:40staff member with you and supporting

16:42this work, so I know that you're also

16:44considering how that's going to tie into

16:45East Trail, same design company, so I

16:48know that's hopefully going to be a very

16:50smooth process, but I look forward to

16:52supporting budgeting for wayfinding um

16:55as this has been

16:57passion point of mine since before I got

16:58onto Council. So, definitely want to um

17:01support you all in that work and get

17:02that especially those critical areas and

17:05how to get people from our neighborhoods

17:07to our bike trails to light rail is a

17:08very critical thing for me, as well.

17:11Um really excited to see the work on the

17:14ERC.

17:16And I Thank you for bringing up the

17:18budget um aspect of that because I don't

17:21know that I would have caught that. So,

17:23I really appreciate you flagging that

17:24for our attention. This is a project

17:27that has been going on, as you said, for

17:2920, 30, maybe more years. So, really

17:32appreciate highlighting that and making

17:34sure that we're looking at that. And I

17:36don't really want to kick the can down

17:38the road on those. So, I really

17:39appreciate the flag on that one as well.

17:42Uh for the accessible play area, toddler

17:44play area, love the passion around that.

17:46I did not know those statistics about

17:48five and under. So, really appreciate

17:50you guys highlighting that. Um and yes,

17:53the the part about accessible play for

17:55all ages

17:56um has been an area for me. If you

17:58haven't had a chance, take a trip over

18:01to Seattle and see the play The

18:02Children's Play Garden. It's for all

18:05ages, all abilities, and it really

18:07features um kids with cerebral palsy,

18:09kids who are in wheelchairs. So, I would

18:11highly recommend if you get an

18:13opportunity to go check that out.

18:15But, thank you for all the work. I'm

18:16really excited about what you all

18:18brought forward tonight.

18:19>> Thank you. Councilmember Prokrym.

18:22>> Yes, thank you so much um for all of

18:25your work engaging the community and

18:26coming to us with this presentation. Uh

18:28I'm Vivek. I've been on the council for

18:31uh just about a little bit over

18:34uh 7 months now.

18:36And

18:38you know, the reason why I ran for city

18:40council uh is because of the rims on the

18:43basketball hoops. Um

18:45at at my local parks, you know, the rims

18:47are so thick uh that when you try to

18:49shoot, unless you get a perfect swish,

18:51it just bounces off. And it makes

18:52playing basketball games impossible.

18:54Now, I'm kidding. That's not That's not

18:55the main reason why I ran. But,

18:57[laughter]

18:58but that is just one anecdotal thing

19:01um that I would love to see

19:03uh implemented in our in our new parks

19:05development. And I would just love to

19:07hear, I guess,

19:08anecdotal examples like that um that you

19:11heard, perhaps the most prominent ones,

19:13the ones that came up most often in the

19:15like over 200 people who took the time

19:18to come up and share their opinions on

19:20parks with you. So, I just love to hear

19:22some of that community engagement, how

19:23it went, and if there's anything you

19:25just kept on hearing over and over

19:26again.

19:30>> Any comments, memories from Derby Days?

19:34>> I'll start. Yeah. Um, a lot of families

19:37love camping.

19:39Which was very interesting. And then

19:40second to that, um,

19:42they loved our hiking trails.

19:46>> [snorts]

19:54>> Thank you for the plug.

19:55>> Um, interesting. Um,

19:58a lot of the people who stop by actually

20:00do not live in Redmond, but they live in

20:04King County and come to Redmond

20:07um, to visit our city as well as utilize

20:11the parks.

20:12Um, we have people as far as um,

20:16you know, over in Stevens Pass area cuz

20:19they work in Redmond. And they will

20:22usually in the evenings to avoid traffic

20:25will go to a park like Perrigo to play

20:27pickleball

20:29to avoid sitting in traffic and get

20:32their exercise and

20:34um, get their pickleball games in.

20:37Uh, one of the other comments that we

20:39did receive um, from many of the

20:41actually residents who reside in Redmond

20:44are basically maintenance related.

20:47So, for example, at Idylwood Park, um,

20:50there are a lot of ducks and geese that

20:53are

20:54um,

20:54doing their business and the park is not

20:57um,

20:58actively in their opinion and with the

21:01residents who live along um, that park

21:04are not cleaning up the beaches

21:06properly. And so that was a major

21:08concern.

21:12>> Thank you for sharing. We're going to go

21:13to the next question from former

21:15commissioner and now council member

21:16Parsey.

21:18>> Thank you. I really appreciate how well

21:21organized and prepared the commission is

21:23today.

21:25I really want to thank you for your

21:26recommendations. I look forward to

21:28supporting funding for ERC. And I do

21:33look forward to how we can come together

21:36and support um the volunteer activities

21:39that you have hosted. I know it saves um

21:41city

21:42a huge amount of financial cost, um but

21:45also it provides a really great

21:47opportunity for people to come together

21:49as a community, which is also a big

21:51mission for us to bring people together

21:54and to activate our parks. So I really

21:56appreciate that.

21:58Um and um in terms of um

22:01and in terms of how we look at our play

22:03areas, I really appreciate the focus on

22:05different ages and different usage um of

22:08the areas. And I um have attended some

22:11of your meetings where I heard a really

22:13um I mean incredible deliberations about

22:16how we can be more thoughtful in

22:17supporting our community.

22:20Um I do want to hear the commission's

22:23thoughts um on something that has been

22:26on my mind and I think on council's

22:28mind. Um the

22:30we are looking at investing um in the

22:33teen in the future teen center. And I

22:35would love to know if the commission has

22:38been thinking about this and if not, um

22:41if you would like to be involved in the

22:42process and if so, how? So would love to

22:45know um where you guys stand.

22:49>> Maybe we can take it as a two-parter. Um

22:51would anyone be interested in in sharing

22:53how you've been involved or engaged so

22:54far as a commission in that process?

22:57And then maybe what might be the ideal?

23:04>> I'll go ahead and take a stab at that if

23:05anybody else wants to chime in with

23:06something, that'd be great. Um, we've

23:08initially had

23:10input, we've been given updates in

23:12regards to where the teen center and

23:13that information there and initially um,

23:16at this point it I do not believe we

23:18actually have it built in our agenda as

23:20a specific topic. It's built in more as

23:22an update that's come through and we as

23:24commission have not really had the time

23:26to discuss sort of what our role would

23:28be. Is that fair?

23:32>> Commissioner Kleppy.

23:33>> We have had a Sorry, we have had a

23:36commission member on the stakeholder

23:37groups going back a little bit. So, we

23:40we were getting some

23:41some feedback and information from that

23:43process, but since that ended, I'm not

23:46sure we've been directly involved. Yeah.

23:52>> Did you have a very brief follow-up?

23:54And um, I wanted to understand how you

23:56would like to be involved if you um, if

23:59if that's something that you're

24:01interested in being involved in and how.

24:10>> Well, if you think about the senior

24:11center as a maybe a model,

24:14the commission wasn't too involved in

24:17the planning and programming and and

24:20implementation of the design and

24:22construction there. That was

24:24that was happening pretty fast and maybe

24:26a little bit outside of our

24:28bailiwick. That doesn't mean though that

24:30we could change how that happens today.

24:34But that's just the way that one

24:35happened.

24:37>> Thank you, Commissioner. Oh, and

24:39Commissioner Smith.

24:41>> I would just say since we have two youth

24:43advocates on our commission as well,

24:44that um, we would love to be involved

24:47and as much as you'll let us, I'll put

24:49it that way. As much as the city will

24:51allow. Um, certainly updates on where

24:53the

24:54design and development process is going

24:56and I know there's also um

24:58there's community meetings on that

25:00coming up next year I believe on on that

25:02or sooner. Um so yeah, I think from a

25:04youth advocate perspective, I would

25:06think we'd want to be involved as much

25:07as we can.

25:09>> Yeah, and if I may, I'll just um I'll

25:11I'll turn to Commissioner Weston and

25:13Commissioner Jane.

25:14Um I know that you have observed that

25:16this project is going on and it is of

25:18course going to directly benefit

25:20uh teens in the future who will get to

25:22call that place, you know, a second

25:23home. Uh do you have ideas for the

25:25council and the commission as we do set

25:28out to engage youth? A lot of work is

25:30already going on and I do want to

25:31acknowledge that. The council will have

25:33our next update from staff on the last

25:35Tuesday of this month, but if you have

25:37ideas while you're here, we'd love to

25:38hear them.

25:41>> Um I'll think on that a bit. Um I

25:45think the city is going this direction

25:46already or like moving away from this,

25:48but um

25:50I do not think the music focus of the

25:52previous teen center would be

25:55should be the primary focus of this new

25:57one. Um

25:59cuz there was very little

26:02uh

26:03it was it was something like 50 or 60

26:05teens that they were reaching with that.

26:07Um in the final few years.

26:09So I think the Kirkland

26:11um teen center might be a better

26:13>> Interesting. Okay. Well, thank you for

26:15sharing your perspective and we are

26:17seeking to reach a broad range of voices

26:19as we endeavor on the project. So um do

26:22you have ideas for us about how to reach

26:25more teens to engage in the process,

26:26either of you?

26:30Yeah, go ahead, Commissioner Jane.

26:33>> Yeah, so I think they've already I mean

26:35there's already been like exposure, like

26:37people do already know this is a thing,

26:38but I just don't think that it's reached

26:40like a broad scope of the youth. I feel

26:42like maybe we need to give more updates,

26:44like implement it into school system so

26:46that they can actually like give their

26:48real input cuz I don't think many people

26:50are actually aware that this is

26:51happening or are very involved in it

26:53right now.

26:54>> Okay.

26:55Appreciate the feedback. Thank you both.

26:57I did I'm sorry if you feel like I put

26:59you on the spot, but we certainly want

27:00to make sure we have a chance to hear

27:01your voice. Are there other questions

27:03from the council um

27:06Council member Kritzinger.

27:09>> [laughter]

27:09>> Well, thank you. And and I I think it

27:11sounds like maybe we've given a little

27:13food for thought on that last item and

27:14would be interested to hear back from

27:16the commission after you have a chance

27:17to to think about it. I'm I would just

27:19say in my

27:22feeling really passionate about that

27:23project, definitely want to make sure we

27:25have all of you know, our community

27:27members, but especially that we're

27:28centering teen voices. That was the

27:30direction we gave at the end of last

27:32year.

27:32Um and and to will be focusing on that

27:35and especially having teens that are

27:36already involved with the city in there,

27:38but really doing that outreach. I was

27:40glad last week that that we um had the

27:44outreach in particular at Redmond High

27:46School um doing the engagement there in

27:48addition to out in community. So

27:50Um but also I think it makes sense for

27:53our commissioners that are thinking

27:54about recreation and kind of the whole

27:57picture to be engaging on this as well.

27:59So I'll just it's just more follow-up

28:02comment there. Um I will note

28:05one comment and then a quick question

28:07since I know we're running close on

28:09time.

28:10I'll echo my colleagues

28:12just really appreciating the toddler

28:13focused infrastructure play

28:15infrastructure conversation with a under

28:18five child and having had little ones in

28:21recent years. I've actually seen I had

28:23moments where we've opened a new new

28:27park infrastructure and and when my kids

28:29especially when my my daughter was

28:30really little and my son was even

28:32littler and realized they really can't

28:34play on any of this. And so it is great

28:38to be able to think about this and it

28:39and actually this picture that you used

28:41in the slide is perfect cuz it's really

28:43doesn't take that much for a toddler to

28:45enjoy themselves.

28:47One proposal that I've brought up as

28:49part of our budget process and brought

28:51up early this year

28:52was an idea of being able to invest in

28:55some of these smaller types of play

28:58infrastructure that we could pop up in

28:59different places around Redmond. That

29:01would be both good for kids of younger

29:04ages, but also kids of older ages. They

29:05love things that you can just climb on,

29:07but they could be climbable by those who

29:09are five or under. So,

29:12excited to continue that conversation

29:13with the council, but also to get input

29:15maybe from you all as you're having

29:17those conversations to think about how

29:19that can be implemented. Hopefully, we

29:20can establish that budget and then also

29:23look to you all to think about that. One

29:25area that I hear about a lot from folks

29:27is about having some more kind of easily

29:32easy to play with equipment right here

29:34near our downtown campus. Even though we

29:37do have Anderson Park, it's a pretty

29:39long walk for folks that are around

29:40here, as well as in our Overlake

29:42neighborhood.

29:44Just if there are some opportunities

29:45there. So, just appreciate that. One

29:47quick question that I had

29:49was just to clarify on the ERC.

29:54And thank you to all the commissioners

29:56that have have been doing the work on

29:57this over time. Um

29:59is so is your proposal to us that we

30:03maintain the amount that is currently

30:06being proposed to us in the CIP or would

30:09your proposal be that we increase the

30:11budget in in the CIP and also you

30:14mentioned that it's further out whether

30:15we move it earlier and what kind of

30:18discussions you've had on the

30:19feasibility of that.

30:22>> On the Well, we haven't had any

30:23discussions on the feasibility of

30:25getting more money. But,

30:26>> [laughter]

30:26>> that's why we're here.

30:28We would love to see the budget

30:31increased and we would love to see it

30:33brought forward. Um

30:35we want to get the momentum rolling. We

30:37And And just sort of like we were

30:38talking about the volunteer activities,

30:41activating the parks, getting people

30:42more aware of it. We really want to see

30:44that momentum rolling. And some of the

30:46things that this money will pay for are

30:48pretty

30:49They're pretty basic like signage.

30:50Here's a park. Or here's a trail. Uh you

30:53know, go this way. Um you you can park

30:56here. It's some of it is pretty basic

30:57that helps activate it. But just keeps

31:00the momentum rolling, keeps the the

31:01activity going. And I have another

31:03request which would be just have some

31:05professional service money. So we can

31:07get some some engineering contracts

31:10going to assist the city in certain

31:12questions or design decisions or even

31:15interacting with King County might take

31:17an engineer perspective on certain

31:19parts. So anyhow, it would be great to

31:21see the money pulled forward, increased,

31:23and additional money found.

31:26Is that okay?

31:26>> Thank you, Commissioner Kleppe.

31:29>> [laughter]

31:31>> Thank you, Commissioner Kleppe. I want

31:32to go to Council member Sony. Did you

31:34have a question for the commission

31:35tonight?

31:36>> Uh first of all, I want to thank all of

31:38you. Uh my name is Pay Kasoni and I'm

31:40going to complete my first year in the

31:42council. Before that, I was an arts and

31:44cultural commissioner.

31:46And I was recently for Art in the Park

31:49event along with my other fellow council

31:51members and it was so good to see

31:54people coming from different cities,

31:55outside neighboring cities coming to

31:57Redmond

31:58to celebrate this event or be there and

32:00like you know, be involved in some of

32:02some of these arts. So definitely I see

32:04there is a huge potential for us to

32:06you know, not only make this place only

32:08for our residents, even for people to

32:10come and enjoy and be a part of some of

32:12these initiatives that city is taking.

32:14Um in terms of you know, we were just

32:17discussing about um

32:19for the children. Like you know,

32:22There there a couple of things that um I

32:23have also heard from several folks. It's

32:26like

32:27people those who are health and fitness

32:28freak,

32:30they are also looking how our paths how

32:32our parks can support their uh need as

32:35well. So, any thoughts on that?

32:42>> Any thoughts on how Redmond Parks can

32:44support health and well-being, fitness?

32:50>> Thank you, Chair Plesner.

32:52>> Sure, I'll jump in with one that

32:53actually is currently happening. The

32:54calisthenic equipment that used to be

32:57out here along the trail. Um we actually

32:59had a public comment that had come to

33:01the commission um saying, "Can you put

33:03this back in?" It would be great. And

33:05that is in the budget through the Parks

33:07and Rec Department to be able to add

33:09that back on. Um so, that's definitely

33:12there.

33:13Uh we're talking about activating

33:15neighborhood parks and trying to come up

33:16with different ways that you might do

33:18that. So, that being

33:20our neighborhood parks being more like

33:22Meadow Park. Um

33:24I'm blanking on every single one name as

33:26I think about them.

33:27But, the ones that aren't the downtown

33:28parks, but that are in our

33:29neighborhoods. And those could be done

33:31with health and fitness sort of things.

33:32You could do a free yoga in the park one

33:34day um and have people be able to come

33:36up just to see their parks or do things.

33:38Um so, I think those are pieces we've

33:40thought about um but we haven't tackled

33:42a lot with

33:44programming, I would say, in regards.

33:45Any other thing in regards health and I

33:47guess pickleball has definitely been a

33:48big one.

33:49>> Yeah, I mean, I feel like the Parks and

33:52Recs team at the Seniors, the RSCC, um

33:56they have a lot of programming. And I

34:01don't know if it's a matter of helping

34:04the

34:06Besides the newsletters and signing up

34:09for those activities, if maybe the word

34:11is not getting out to some of these

34:14people that you spoke with, but we do

34:17have a plethora of health and fitness

34:20activities through the RSCC.

34:22Um and then within the parks, um you

34:25know, you have all these different

34:27leagues like cricket, baseball,

34:29softball, soccer,

34:31um and pickleball to name a few. So, I

34:34think opportunities are abundant. It's

34:37just, um, perhaps maybe some of the

34:40residents are not aware of how to get

34:43engaged or how to sign up properly for

34:46some of the, uh, program offerings that

34:49we do have, um, today cuz I feel like

34:52for

34:53and I I I have been kind of going out to

34:57all different cities to kind of scope

35:01for best practices. And, um,

35:04in comparison to some of the other

35:06cities that are nearby, we have a very

35:09large offering of health and fitness. I

35:11just think it's the matter of the

35:13awareness that maybe we need to,

35:16um, amp it up a little bit more. Um, I

35:19don't know how else maybe the

35:21communications team or the parks and

35:23recs team can help in that area. Um, but

35:27of course, there's always opportunities

35:29to add new programming that we currently

35:32don't offer from the city. But, overall,

35:35I feel like the city is doing an

35:37excellent job in this area.

35:42>> Commissioner Peña.

35:43Come on up.

35:47>> Um, I do want to echo that. I know that

35:49we have a really robust program, uh,

35:51programming, uh, here. Um, I know

35:54because I sign up for like every single

35:56thing.

35:57Um, and so, I know that they're, uh,

35:59you're really trying to be innovative in

36:00like adding like a walking club, you

36:02know, and stuff like that and taking

36:03people out and doing like hikes and

36:05stuff like that. I really do think that

36:07it's just the communication out to the

36:08community that these things are here.

36:11Um, you know, um,

36:14getting people to get together and go on

36:16a hike is,

36:18um, you know, it seems like, um, you

36:20know, something that's going to build

36:21community. It's going to get you out.

36:22You're having fun while you're meeting

36:23people, um, you you of the community.

36:26Um, but again, it's just if nobody knows

36:28it's there, then no one will show up.

36:31Um, you know, also they were doing um,

36:33like not sound baths, but um,

36:36forest bathing. Forest bathing, you

36:38know, so these are really like

36:40innovative things that have to do with

36:41wellness, right? Not just in a fitness

36:43level, but like, you know, mental health

36:44and things things like that. Um, so I

36:46think that yeah, um,

36:49I absolutely agree that we need to find

36:51a better way to

36:53I don't want to say market, but market

36:54and communicate to everybody that these

36:56things exist. Um, you know, I also

36:59follow every single thing City of

37:00Redmond when it comes like social media

37:02and whatnot. Um, and I don't really see

37:04a lot of it pushed. Um, and so yeah, if

37:08there is a way that we could get it all

37:10in one place, um, so that's easily

37:12accessible to people to find, um, then I

37:15think that we would have way better

37:17success and engagement with people with

37:19what we do offer, cuz we do offer a ton

37:21of stuff.

37:22Um, people just need to know where it

37:23is, so they can, you know, partake. So,

37:26that's all. Thank you.

37:30>> I can just jump in real quick. So, what

37:32you hear is there's a variety of

37:33components that yes, there's some strong

37:34things of going on and those are sort of

37:36the centralized things.

37:38I still would argue there is the gap

37:40that exists of how do you bring that

37:42closer to home where people live in

37:44their neighborhoods? And how do you do

37:46low cost or free easy entry that isn't

37:49as much of a commitment? And those are

37:51the places I think we still have a gap.

37:53That and that's a piece we've been

37:54talking about a bit on the commission to

37:56look at in regards as well as that

37:58stronger programming piece.

38:00>> I super appreciate that. Um, yes, go

38:03ahead, Commissioner Valdez.

38:05>> Um, also to talk about the like

38:07family-oriented and toddler-focused. One

38:09of the things that we've been thinking

38:10about, we don't have any proposals yet,

38:12recommendations, but we've been thinking

38:14about like temporary tot lots or

38:15sandboxes. So, if you guys hear anything

38:18um, from parents or families about like

38:21small little amenities that they want to

38:23see. Um

38:24we're very interested in that. So,

38:25please either let us know or let them

38:28know that they can always write an email

38:29from home if they can't come visit or

38:31they can join remotely.

38:32But, yeah.

38:34>> Thank you so much. Um Council Vice

38:35President, you have the last quick

38:37question.

38:37>> Thank you. And not a question, but a

38:39very quick comment. Um I'm uh Council

38:41Vice President Angie Nuñez Camina. I'm

38:43in in my third year serving um and

38:46Planning Commission before that. Uh

38:49I live here in downtown and one of the

38:51things that I've noticed and of course

38:52we don't have data on this, but I've

38:54noticed more strollers and more toddlers

38:57walking around and toddling around and

38:59having a lot of fun in in open spaces.

39:02So, I was very glad to see um the the

39:05information on our toddler uh play

39:07structures and being inclusive of that.

39:09I was also grateful to hear about making

39:12sure that our parks are ready for folks

39:15of varying abilities. Um making sure

39:17that we've got parks now with um

39:19changing tables up to adult size to

39:21where uh for families that are

39:24navigating varying abilities that

39:26they're included as well. So, all of

39:27this is wonderful. Um Commissioner

39:30Kleppy, I'd more than happy to continue

39:32supporting the work that is now legacy

39:35um with the ERC.

39:37Uh I know that it was very near and dear

39:39to several prior council members

39:41including Council Member David Carson.

39:44Uh where you know he continued to to

39:46hold that that that vision and that

39:48legacy. And I'm hearing that that is

39:51still the same of this particular

39:52council. Um so, keeping the momentum

39:56completely in support of that because we

39:58do want to see this continuing to move

40:00even if we don't have all of the pieces.

40:02You know, like the land for instance. Um

40:05simple things like that. So, thank you

40:07very much for for bringing this forward.

40:09As many of the things that that you

40:11brought forward this evening, we have

40:13been hearing from our constituents. So,

40:15thank you very much for your service.

40:18>> Thank you. Much appreciated.

40:20Well, we never have enough time with you

40:22all and this commission in particular

40:24always comes prepared. So, once again, I

40:27will offer my gratitude. Maybe I could

40:29cover a couple of next steps. Most

40:31immediately for anyone listening who

40:34may have really found something in the

40:36conversation that matters to them.

40:38Our council will be having our next

40:40budget hearing on the 20th. So,

40:43also [email protected]

40:45or [email protected] is a great way

40:47for people to submit their comments

40:48including any comments on conversation

40:50tonight.

40:52And then next Thursday we'll pick up the

40:53budget conversation. One of the topics

40:56that will be kicking off with is the

40:59changes and like to the capital

41:02improvement program. So, when it comes

41:03to building things

41:05and the offers that you all made tonight

41:08and

41:09the

41:10inspiring calls for deeper investment.

41:12We will in fact be kicking off those

41:14conversations next Thursday. So, that's

41:15the 22nd and the 27th. And we'll slowly

41:19after that be working our way toward

41:21budget reconciliation. So, thank you all

41:23so much for your attention to that. I

41:26also want to say there's been a lot of

41:28positive feedback that at the beginning

41:30of this current year we brought all of

41:33the a representative. It was often the

41:35chair but a representative from each of

41:37the commissions together to sit with the

41:39council at the beginning of the year

41:42and just understand what each of is

41:44working on as you head into the new

41:45year. So, you can expect an invitation

41:47from the council to send a

41:49representative back to this room and and

41:51be in relationship with the rest of the

41:53commissioners. I hear you on your

41:55passion also for the neighborhood parks.

41:58We have recently identified that our

42:00council conversations work best in

42:02neighborhood parks. So, this is our

42:03quarterly tour around the town.

42:06We had a great turnout at Spiritbook

42:08Park for instance recently and Idlewild

42:10was another banger. So,

42:13I'm also hearing an opportunity to

42:16invite a couple representatives from

42:17your commission next time we're out in a

42:18neighborhood park

42:20and just so we can hear the same

42:21feedback at the same time. So, really

42:23look forward to the budget process and

42:26then of course and one of the things we

42:27want to fund in the budget process is

42:30the refresh to the park plan which you

42:32all

42:33will have a hand in setting some

42:34significant policy direction for the

42:36next 5 years with that. So, with that

42:39we're over time but I don't care because

42:41I'm so passionate about just thanking

42:43you all. I really appreciate your time

42:45tonight for this meeting we are

42:46adjourned. Thank you so much.

42:48>> Thank you.